Manually operated small boat drive

ABSTRACT

A housing, vertically connected with and supported by a small boat transom journals a shaft connected through driven gear elements to a propeller, is provided at its upper end portion with a manually operated handle, connected by drive gear elements to the upper end of the shaft by friction clutch assembly for driving the propeller in response to vertical movement of the handle.

United States Patent [191 Finn [451 May 7,1974

[ MANUALLY OPERATED SMALL BOAT DRIVE [76] Inventor: Burton C. Finn, P.O. Box 396,

Lithia Springs, Ga. 30057 [22] Filed: Oct. 25, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 300,614

[52] US. Cl 115/24, 74/812, 192/53 C [51] Int. Cl. B63h 16/12 [58] Field of Search 115/17, 24; 192/20, 41 S, 192/51, 53 R, 53 A, 53 C, 87.12, 87.14, 89,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,362,374 l/l968 Barker ll5/24 464,408 12/1891 Williams ll5/24 2,235,266 3/1941 Starkey 192/51 2,487,280 ll/l949 Starkey 192/51 Primary Examiner-Duane A. Reger Assistant Examiner.lesus D. Stoelo Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert K. Rhea [57] ABSTRACT A housing, vertically connected with and supported by a small boat transom journals a shaft connected through driven gear elements to a propeller, is provided at its upper end portion with a manually operated handle, connected by drive gear elements to the upper end of the shaft by friction clutch assembly for driving the propeller in response to vertical movement of the handle.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDIAY 1: 14 33091006 sum 3 0F 3 T\ Li FIG. 5

MANUALLY OPERATED SMALL BOAT DRIVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to small boats and more particularly to an apparatus detachably secured to a boat transom whereby manual operation of a handle member drives a propeller for moving and steering the boat.

It is desirable, when fishing from a small boat, or the like, to have some inexpensive means of slowly propelling the boat through the water while casting or trolling.

This invention provides an apparatus which includes a propeller connected by a housing to a boat transom and manually driven by the operator vertically moving a handle control thus leaving his other hand free.

2. Description of the Prior Art Small boat trolling motors presently used include an electric motor necessitating the use of a battery as a source of energy. This type of outboard trolling motor is satisfactory from an operational standpoint but requires a certain amount of maintenance including the recharging of the battery. Other types of outboard drives for small boats which are manually operated have been proposed, such as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,535 which features a manually operated crank connected by chain and sprocket means with a propeller for driving the latter. A somewhat similar manually operated device is shown by US. Pat. No. 3,010,421 which features a seat mounted above a boat transom with upstanding and depending members respectively supporting manually operated cranks and a propeller with the cranks connected with the propeller by a flexible drive.

This invention is distinctive over the electric driven trolling motor and the devices disclosed by these patents by providing a housing removably connected with a transom and containing a rotatable drive shaft driving a propeller connected with its depending end through driven gear means while drive gear means, connected with the upper end portion of the shaft, rotates the shaft about its vertical axes by a manually operated handle control and a pair of friction clutches.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An elongated housing is connected for vertical pivoting movement about a horizontal axis to a boat transom by clamp means. The depending end of the housing is connected with a gear box containing a driven shaft having a propeller secured to its end portion projecting outwardly of the gear box. An elongated drive shaft is journalled by the housing and connected with the driven shaft by bevel gears. A U-shaped gear bracket, connected with the upwardly disposed end of the housing, journals one end portion of a manually operated handle control having a pair of gears journalled thereon in mesh with a spur gear secured to the upper end portion of the drive shaft. A pair of friction clutches form a drive and release connection between the respective gear of the pair of gears and spur gear for rotating the latter in one direction in response to vertical pivoting movement of the free end portion of the handle control. Boat steering is effected by lateral movement in either direction of the handle control which changes the direction of the propeller thrust.

The principle object of this invention is to provide a lightweight relatively simple manually operated outboard-motor-type drive for small boats.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus in operative position on a small boat, a fragment of the latter being shown by dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially in section, to a larger scale, of the apparatus with the propeller removed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary left side elevational view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the manually operated friction clutch means and driving gears; and,

FIG. 5 is horizontal cross-sectional view, to a different scale, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the device, as a whole, comprising an elongated tubular housing 12 pivotally connected with a clamp means 14 which grips a boat transom l6 and supports the housing 12 for vertical pivoting movement rearwardly of the boat 18. A drive shaft 20 is coaxially contained by the housing and projects beyond its respective upper and lower ends. A gear box 22 is connected with the depending end of the housing by a plate 23 containing a bearing 24 which journals the depending end portion of the drive shaft 20. The depending end of the drive shaft 20 is coaxially connected with a beveled gear 26 which meshes with a companion gear 28 secured to a driven shaft 30 journailed at one end by a gear box bearing 32. The longitudinal axis of the driven shaft 30 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 20 and projects rearwardly at its opposite end beyond a removable gear box door 34 containing a driven shaft bearing 36. The free end portion of the driven shaft 30 is connected with a conventional boat propeller 38. Apertures 40, formed in the gear box plate and door, permits circulation of water through the gear box.

The clamp means 14 is substantially C-clamp-shaped in general configuration comprising a base portion 42 which flatly contacts vertically a rearward surface of the transom 16 and having an arm portion 44 disposed in spaced relation forwardly of the transom which is threadedly apertured for receiving a clamp screw 46. The clamp screw 46 is provided with a clamp pad 48 coaxially connected pivotally to the end of the clamp screw between the clamp base 42 and its arm 44 with a clamp screw pin 50 connected with the other end of the clamp screw for moving the clamp pad 48 toward and away from the transom 16 in a gripping and releasing action. The clamp screw 46 is centrally drilled from its end opposite the clamp pad 48 to form a clamp screw socket 52 which loosely receives a clamp screw handle or pin 50 (FIG. 5). The clamp screw pin 50 is rod-like in general configuration having a partspherical ball 54 coaxially formed on or secured to the inwardly disposed end portion of the clamp screw, as viewed in FIG. 5, with the opposite end of the clamp screw provided with a grip lug 56 for moving the clamp pin longitudinally out of its socket 52. The end of the clamp screw 46, opposite the clamp pad 48 is provided with a diametric slot 58 having a width slightly greater than the diameter of the clamp screw pin 50. A portion of the free end surface of the clamp screw is deformed by bending inwardly a portion of the walls forming the socket 52 and slot 58 in a staking action to form a restriction at this end surface of the clamp screw prevent ing removal of the clamp pin ball 54 but permitting the clamp pin to shift or pivot 180 within the slot 58 and provide sufficient leverage for rotating the clamp screw and tightening the clamp pad 48 against the transom 16 and releasing it from its gripping position.

One end of a tilting bracket 60 surrounds the upper end portion of the housing 12 and is pivotally connected, at its other end, to the clamp means 14 by a roll pin 62 permitting vertical tilting movement of the housing 12 about the horizontal axis of the roll pin 62. A tilt lock 64 projects upwardly above the upper limit of the clamp means 14 and is provided with vertical shoulders 66 for engaging the bight portion of a U-shaped lock bail 68 connected with the clamp means 14 for maintaining the normally vertical axis of the housing 12 in a desired tilted or inclined position. A socket 70, secured to a depending portion of the clamp means, is provided with a bolt 72 for providing a bearing surface or stop in contact with an adjacent surface of the housing 12. The socket forming member 70 may be adjustably positioned vertically along the clamp base 42 by vertically spaced apertures 74 formed therein.

A substantially U-shaped gear case 76 has its bight portion 78 integrally connected with a centrally drilled boss 80 which coaxially surrounds and is secured to the upper end of the housing 12. The boss 80 contains a bearing 82 similar to the bearing 24 which journals the upwardly disposed end portion of the drive shaft 20. A spur gear 84 is coaxially secured to the upwardly disposed end portion of the drive shaft 20 above the upper limit of the gear case bight portion 78. The upstanding legs 86 and 88 of the gear case 76 are line drilled and provided with bearing members 90 which journal the foot portion 92 of a handle control 94 permitting vertical pivoting movement of the free end portion of the handle about the horizontal axis of its foot portion 92.

A clutch driver 96 is secured to the handle foot portion 92 medially the spacing of the gear case legs 86 and 88. The clutch driver 96 is substantially cylindrical in general configuration, having a central bore 98, which surrounds the handle foot portion 92 and is secured thereto by a pin 100 extending transversely through the clutch driver 96 medially its ends and through a central aperture 102 formed in the handle portion 92. The respective end portion of the clutch driver is diametrically reduced, as at 104 and 106, for cooperative reception of a pair of torsion clutch springs 108 and 110, respectively. The respective end portion of the clutch driver 96 is transversely slotted, as at 112 and 114, for respectively receiving an end portion 116 of the respective clutch springs 108 and to prevent 120 and having a lateral flange formed on the periphery of the disk portion projecting toward the clutch driver which forms gear teeth 122 meshing with the teeth of the spur gear 84. The end portion of the gear hub 120, projecting toward the respective gear case leg 86 and 88, receives a bearing 124 for journalling the handle portion 92. The other end portion of the respective gear hub 120 forms a socket 126 which closely receives the periphery of the respective clutch spring 108 and l 10 for imparting angular rotation to the drive shaft 20 by vertical pivoting movement of the free end portion of the handle 94.

OPERATION With the device assembled and installed on a boat, as described hereinabove, the free end of the handle is manually moved vertically upward, as for example, from the position shown in FIG. 1, which rotates the foot portion 92 of the handle about its horizontal axis rotating the clutch driver 96 about the axis of the handle portion 92 and rotating the clutch gear 117 in the direction of the arrow 130. The wall of the clutch cup, forming the socket 126 of the clutch gear 1 17, contacts the periphery of the spring 1 10 and tends to unwind the clutch spring 110 thus expanding the spring into frictional contact with the inner surface of the socket 126 and rotating the clutch gear 117 in the direction of the arrow 130 and rotating the spur gear and drive shaft 20 in the direction of the arrow 132. The drive shaft 20, by the bevel gears 26 and 28, rotates the propeller 38 in a thrust action against water around the boat. During this action the clutch driver 96 tends to wind the clutch spring 108 out of frictional contact with the clutch cup socket 126 so that the gear wheel 118, in mesh with the spur gear 84, rotates freely abut the axis of the handle portion 92 in the direction of the arrow 134. Movement of the free end of the handle 94 downwardly then tends to unwind the clutch spring 108 so that it similarly drives the clutch gear 1 18 in the direction of the arrow 130 similarly driving the spur gear 84 and, in its turn, the propeller 38 in its previous direction of angular rotation, while the clutch driver 96 simultaneously tends to wind the clutch spring 110 and permits the clutch gear 117 to rotate freely on the axis of the handle portion 92. Thus, a repeated vertical up and down movement of the free end portion of the handle continuously drives the propeller in a boat thrusting direction. Lateral movement of the handle free end portion, in either direction, rotates the housing and drive shaft in the respective direction about its vertical axis to achieve directional control of boat movement.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability, therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.

I claim: 1. A propelling apparatus for a boat having a transom, comprising:

a generally vertically disposed elongated housing;

clamp means connecting the upper-end portion of said housing to said transom;

a drive shaft coaxially journalled by said housing and projecting beyond the respective upper and lower limits thereof;

driven gear means including a driven shaft connected with the depending end portion of said drive shaft;

a propeller secured to said driven shaft;

drive gear means connected with the upper end portion of said drive shaft, said drive gear means including,

a spur gear coaxially connected with said drive shaft,

a U-shaped drive gear case having transversely apertured upstanding legs and having its bight portion connected with said housing below said spur gear,

handle means having an end portion extending through and journalled by said legs for reciprocable rotative motion about a horizontal axis;

a pair of drive gears meshing with said spur gear and being journalled by said handle means end portion; and,

clutch means releasably engaging and driving said pair of drive gears, said clutch means including,

a cylindrical clutch driver coaxially secured to said handle means end portion between said pair of drive gears,

said clutch driver having a transverse slot in each of its ends,

said pair of drive gears each having a hub portion forming a socket surrounding the respective end portion of said clutch driver; and,

a pair of helical clutch springs respectively surrounding the end portions of said clutch driver and each having one end portion disposed within the respective clutch driver slot, the peripheral surface of each said clutch spring, when in an at rest position,

frictionally contacting the inner surface forming the respective drive gear hub socket,

whereby rotative movement of said handle means end portion, in one direction, tends to unwind one said clutch spring and expand its peripheral surface into driving contact against the surrounding hub socket surface for rotating said hub in said one direction while simultaneously the rotative movement of the handle means end portion in said one direction tends to wind the other said clutch spring out of contact with the surrounding hub socket surface permitting free rotative movement of the other said drive gear in a direction opposite the said one direction while rotative movement of said handle means end portion in a direction opposite said one direction tends to unwind the said other said clutch spring into driving contact with the surrounding hub socket surface while tending to wind said one said clutch spring out of contact with its surrounding hub socket surfaces.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said driven gear means includes:

a driven gear housing journalling the depending end portion of said drive shaft and journalling said driven shaft; and,

a pair of bevel gears connected, respectively, with said drive shaft and said driven shaft within said driven gear housing. 

1. A propelling apparatus for a boat having a transom, comprising: a generally vertically disposed elongated housing; clamp means connecting the upper end portion of said housing to said transom; a drive shaft coaxially journalled by said housing and projecting beyond the respective upper and lower limits thereof; driven gear means including a driven shaft connected with the depending end portion of said drive shaft; a propeller secured to said driven shaft; drive gear means connected with the upper end portion of said drive shaft, said drive gear means including, a spur gear coaxially connected with said drive shaft, a U-shaped drive gear case having transversely apertured upstanding legs and having its bight portion connected with said housing below said spur gear, handle means having an end portion extending through and journalled by said legs for reciprocable rotative motion about a horizontal axis; a pair of drive gears meshing with said spur gear and being journalled by said handle means end portion; and, clutch means releasably engaging and driving said pair of drive gears, said clutch means including, a cylindrical clutch driver coaxially secured to said handle means end portion between said pair of drive gears, said clutch driver having a transverse slot in each of its ends, said pair of drive gears each having a hub portion forming a socket surrounding the respective end portion of said clutch driver; and, a pair of helical clutch springs respectively surrounding the end portions of said clutch driver and each having one end portion disposed within the respective clutch driver slot, the peripheral surface of each said clutch spring, when in an at rest position, frictionally contacting the inner surface forming the respective drive gear hub socket, whereby rotative movement of said handle means end portion, in one direction, tends to unwind one said clutch spring and expand its peripheral surface into driving contact against the surrounding hub socket surface for rotating said hub in said one direction while simultaneously the rotative movement of the handle means end portion in said one direction tends to wind the other said clutch spring out oF contact with the surrounding hub socket surface permitting free rotative movement of the other said drive gear in a direction opposite the said one direction while rotative movement of said handle means end portion in a direction opposite said one direction tends to unwind the said other said clutch spring into driving contact with the surrounding hub socket surface while tending to wind said one said clutch spring out of contact with its surrounding hub socket surfaces.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said driven gear means includes: a driven gear housing journalling the depending end portion of said drive shaft and journalling said driven shaft; and, a pair of bevel gears connected, respectively, with said drive shaft and said driven shaft within said driven gear housing. 